This is one of my favorite examiner.com stories and originally ran Jan. 27, 2012.

Diane Marie was clear two months ago about her intentions.

She planned to resume her bowling career after a 35-year hiatus, regain the form that allowed her to bowl a 180 game and then perhaps join a league for fun and recreation – and competition.

So much for good intentions.

After bowling for more than a month and finding her groove, Marie saw disaster hit two weeks ago. Marie injured her right throwing shoulder and arm while lifting a box at work and the mishap has put her on the shelf. She hasn’t bowled since – remembering how she “couldn’t lift my arm in any direction” right after she got hurt.

But as far as Marie is concerned, that was just a minor setback. She’s already planning her imminent return.

She will definitely be back, said Marie, a Newbury Park resident. “Of course, I will. I am woman, hear me roar,” she said, laughing.

She’s treating her injury with ice and ultrasound and has found that she is improving quickly.

Still, Marie kicks herself for incurring her injury. “Lifting a [heavy] box is something a girl shouldn't do,” she said. “You should always call a man to help you. Sometimes it’s good to play the weaker sex. Then you won’t get injured.”

“But I do think about it every day. Seriously. And I think about my arm. I keep thinking, ‘I want to bowl. I want to bowl.’ ”

Marie had just bought a pair of bowling shoes. And she was planning on purchasing her own bowling ball as well. And she was right on the verge of calling for bowling lessons.

She was quite serious.

And she still is.

Marie, who stands a “spunky 5-2,” said she was planning her return in “another week. I can hope, can't I? You can’t blame a woman for trying. I'm persistent.”

Marie had just developed a soft-breaking hook when she got hurt. She said she hoped to keep the curve going. “I love watching people with a hook,” she said. “I get excited watching people with a hook. I just felt things were clicking for me. I felt more under control. And I was getting a few strikes. Why is it so exciting to get a strike?”

Marie said she was not only planning to bowl consistently, but she was planning to bowl consistently well.

“Everyone wants to be good at whatever they love doing,” Marie said. “It doesn't matter if it’s a sport, or a hobby, or a job.”

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Fred Eisenhammer is a striking example of a true bowling aficionado. He bowls in a league and even watches bowling on television. He is a former sportswriter who has written three books and has worked as a copy editor and news editor at the Los Angeles Times. Contact Fred at fred.eisenhammer@yahoo.com.